With Parise and Suter apparently out of the picture, what is our next move?

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If they are considering Semin, I hope it is only for one year at this point...if everything works out and he's a good little soldier, then worry about a longer deal later...I don't want to be married to a potential head-case (regardless of the talent) without giving him the ol' one year test drive to make sure that he does not poison the locker room. At this point, I would prefer Doan (who may not have Semin's scoring touch, but is a better two-way player and a top-notch locker room guy), or trading for one of the big fish that may be available.

On Tuesday morning came reports from Sportsnet that former-Capitals winger Alexander Semin has come to an agreement with the Penguins on a one-year deal. However, those reports appear to be premature and based on very little sourced information, making the likelihood of the reports being true very slim.

The Pens Blog took a look at the circumstances regarding the report and why they believe it is based upon "false rumors from two nights ago." Among the questionable nature of the report is the fact that Penguins general manager Ray Shero spoke to Dan Rosen on Monday and said he wasn't particularly "bonkers" about signing anyone right now.

Semin has spent all seven years of his NHL career with the Washington Capitals, but is now a free agent that has reportedly been interested in signing with the Penguins, but for a long-term deal.

Simon Despres has shed 20 pounds during this NHL offseason, I learned Tuesday. The Penguins’ top defense prospect tipped the scales at 210 for the opening of the team’s development camp at Consol Energy Center. And as he told me before taking the ice, “I’ve never felt faster or stronger.”

Cool.

He should be a vital piece this winter, possibly even paired with Kris Letang.

Of course, that also could be Joe Morrow, another swift, skilled defenseman whose audition might or might not benefit from his blond mane now rivaling Letang’s in length.

Trying to catch someone’s eye?

“Nah, just kind of let it go,” Morrow shrugged off with a grin. “Not sure what to do with it now.”

Prospects are a blast to be around in any sport. This group of 30 was one part go-get-’em, two parts gosh-wow. Upon entering the Penguins’ locker room Tuesday, one exclaimed, “Just like ‘24/7!’ ”

Neat.

So, where’s Sid’s winger?

Sorry, but for me, this day at the rink served primarily to rekindle the same question puckheads have been asking around here for years but never with more urgency than this summer: Who will skate alongside Sidney Crosby?

Dan Bylsma tried to address that with reporters but probably only heightened the public anxiety: “We feel good about our top six forwards. We feel we have good players there. Could we look to add a player there? We certainly could. We certainly have ideas about players who could play next to guys like Sid and Gino.”

OK, let’s stop there.

The last three words of Bylsma’s quote merit special attention. The Penguins aren’t necessarily looking for a Crosby winger, from what I’ve heard, but for one who could play with Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. If it’s the latter, the lines would be:

Chris Kunitz-Crosby-Pascal Dupuis

Winger To Be Named-Malkin-James Neal

Back to Bylsma …

“We could give that chance to one of our younger players.”

He singled out Eric Tangradi and Beau Bennett. One hasn’t established himself in the NHL at age 23, and the other hasn’t skated a shift. Slim chance for either.

Anyone else, Coach?

“Tyler Kennedy could get a chance to play there.”

Um, no.

It was then that Bylsma began to get real.

He named, without prodding, two free agents — Shane Doan and Alexander Semin — and added, “There are possibilities out there, things Ray Shero’s looking at, that we’re looking at as a staff.”

My understanding is that the Penguins aren’t all that keen on Semin. Nor should they be. For all his 40-goal talent, his dogging it for the Capitals through much of this past season, even with a free-agent payday looming, even into the second round of playoffs, should make him toxic.

Doan is different.

The Penguins’ real preference for finding a winger in the wake of losing out on Zach Parise — a player they saw as a uniquely fine fit for Crosby — is to go the Neal route: Find a young 20-goal guy on someone else’s roster, and try to net him through a trade involving one of their many young defensemen.

That won’t be easy, of course, but defensemen are a precious commodity in the NHL. A team like the Oilers, loaded with youth up front but with little on the blue line, would be a perfect partner.

Remember: Someone else’s young 20-goal guy can double that total alongside Crosby or Malkin.

That’s where Doan comes in. He’s 35, he’s been the captain and face of the Coyotes for a decade and a half, he’s one of the better human beings in the game, he’s coming off his 11th career 20-goal season, and he’s got enough left that he was an absolute bull in leading Phoenix to the Western Conference final. His skating has slipped a bit, but the Penguins feel he’s still fast enough.

The Penguins could floor Doan with a huge one-year offer — they’re one of nine teams to express heavy interest, per agent Terry Bross in Monday’s Arizona Republic — and simultaneously buy time, even the whole year, for Shero to hunt down his next Neal.

The catch is, Doan has to want to come. He’s a lifelong member of the Phoenix/Winnipeg franchise and prefers to keep it that way. He and Bross are waiting to see if a group is successful in purchasing the Coyotes and sealing a lease with the government of Glendale, Ariz. That might be resolved this week. But if it isn’t settled soon, Doan and Bross have made it clear they’ll test the market. And if they do, the Penguins will be as attractive as any suitor.

So, forget other free agents.

Forget Rick Nash, too. The Penguins have never been nuts about him, which is exactly what some team will have to be to meet the Blue Jackets’ asking price in a trade.

Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Penguins have made a contract offer to UFA forward Shane Doan.

Anderson didn’t obtain either the terms or dollar amount being offered, but did say the longtime Phoenix Coyote has a “mutual interest” in Pittsburgh.

It’s not entirely surprising that Pittsburgh wants Doan. The Pens have been actively searching for a winger to play with Sidney Crosby and, after losing out on the Zach Parise sweepstakes, have discussed with a number of the “Plan B” free agents — including Washington’s Alex Semin.

The wildcard in Doan talks? What kind of money GM Ray Shero put on the table. The Penguins have just under $10 million in available cap space and have no glaring roster holes to fill, meaning they could make a pretty lucrative pitch to the 35-year-old.

That’s key, because a report out of Arizona last week said a mystery team from the Eastern Conference offered Doan a four-year, $30 million-plus deal.

The Penguins, continuing the push to round out their roster, have made an offer for unrestricted free agent Shane Doan, his agent, Terry Bross, confirmed Monday.

The team also is addressing its remaining restricted free agents.

Bross, by email, said that Doan "has interest" in the Penguins but does not have a timetable for making a decision.

Doan, 35, has reported offers from at least a handful of clubs and could opt to re-sign with Phoenix, where he has served as the Coyotes captain but became a free agent because of stability concerns with team ownership. Specifics of the Penguins' contract offer are not known.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma last week said the team liked Doan's attributes as someone who could play winger alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin on one of the top two lines. Doan would add size, skill and grit. He has 318 goals, 788 points in 1,198 NHL games.

Qualifying offers expired Sunday, although the deadline can be extended. General manager Ray Shero is on vacation, and it's not clear whether three others in this category -- winger Eric Tangradi and defensemen Robert Bortuzzo and Alex Grant -- got a deadline extension or reverted to being restricted free agents.

The coveted free agent is aware of the Penguins’ interest but, according to his agent, becoming Sidney Crosby’s right wing is hardly imminent.

In fact, it sounds pretty unlikely.

A return to Phoenix is clearly Doan’s preference. The Coyotes, currently controlled by the NHL, are in the midst of an unstable financial situation, which is the only thing holding up Doan’s return to Phoenix.

“We are still hoping this thing in Phoenix is going to work out,” Doan’s agent, Terry Bross, told the Tribune-Review on Wednesday.

And if Doan decides that returning to the Coyotes is simply impossible, it’s hardly a lock that he will choose the Penguins. Bross confirmed that the Penguins have made an offer, but they are hardly the only team interested in his services.

“It would be premature to say Pittsburgh is definitely a possibility,” Bross said. “We plan to narrow it down to 4-6 teams by this weekend.”

Doan is 35 and the Penguins rarely made lengthy contract offers to players that age. However, to attain his services, a long term deal seems paramount.

Asked if playing with Crosby in Pittsburgh could sway Doan to accept a short term deal, Bross said, “I don’t see that happening.”

If the Penguins want Doan, they’ll likely have to offer a contract of at least three years.

Doan, the Phoenix captain who has notched 318 career goals, is a player the Penguins believe could fill the role held by Bill Guerin for two seasons. Guerin, although past his prime, was able to produce alongside Crosby and provide the locker room with one of hockey’s great leaders.

The Penguins have more than $10 million of salary cap space for next season and even more in future seasons, making a deal with Doan a fiscal possibility.

But the Penguins certainly don’t seem to be at the top of his list, even though Bross acknowledged that Doan does have interest in them.

“We’ll see how this goes,” Bross said. “This could still take a while.”

Doan re-signs with Coyotes for four years
Friday, 09.14.2012 / 5:07 PM
NHL.com

Shane Doan ended his lengthy stretch as a free agent this offseason by signing a four-year contract to stay with the Phoenix Coyotes, the team announced Friday.

The Arizona Republic reports the deal is worth a total of $21.2 million with a $2 million signing bonus.

"I'm extremely excited about remaining a Coyote," Doan said on the team's website. "I was drafted by this organization and it means a great deal to me to be able to play with the same franchise my entire career.

"I'm very excited about our team, our coaching staff and our management and am confident about our future in Arizona. I chose to stay with the Coyotes because I am committed to winning here, not anywhere else and I love living and playing in the Valley. This is my home and this is my team."

Doan, 35, has been a member of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise since he was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1995 NHL Draft. In 16 seasons with the club, the team’s captain has 318 goals and 470 assists in 1,198 career games.

Last season, Doan had 22 goals and 28 assists in 79 games. The Coyotes reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time, where they were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings in five games.

"We are thrilled to sign Shane to a long-term contract," general manager Don Maloney said on the team's website. "Shane is our captain and the heart and soul of our franchise. He is the consummate professional and one of the best leaders in the NHL. His loyalty, commitment, integrity and passion for the game epitomize everything you'd want in a player. It was a priority for us to sign him to a long-term deal so that he can play for the Coyotes for the remainder of his career."

Doan's decision was delayed while the team sorted out its ownership situation. Greg Jamison is in line to complete his purchase, but it had not become official as of Friday.

Throughout the process that began July 1 Doan said he wanted to remain in Phoenix.